Central looking for consistency in homecoming clash

Consistency is the focus for the Central College football team
as it prepares for its homecoming game Saturday with Simpson
College.

Game time is 1 p.m. at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium as the
Dutch make their first home appearance since Sept. 18.

In last Saturday's 52-0 romp at Cornell College, Coach
Jeff McMartin saw the kind of intensity he seeks on a regular
basis.

"The biggest thing I take away was our guys played with a
lot of passion and a lot of emotion. We played Central football. It
was high-energy, it was intense, it was hard-hitting. That's
our game.

"We need to keep working at that and bring that every
week."

Records—Central is 4-1 overall and 2-1 in
the Iowa Conference. Simpson was edged by Luther College Saturday,
30-24, and is 1-4 overall with a 1-2 league mark.

Central remains No. 9 in the D3football.com top 25 and jumped
four spots from No. 19 to No. 15 in this week's American
Football Coaches Association poll. Three Iowa Conference teams are
in the AFCA rankings for the first time this year. Coe is No. 8 and
Wartburg is No. 24.

The series—Central stopped Simpson 56-24
at Indianola last year and holds a 57-27-3 lead in the series,
which started in 1905.

On the air, on the Web—Trevor Castle will
call the play-by-play of Saturday's game on KRLS-FM (92.1)
and the broadcast can also be accessed through Central's
website at www.central.edu/athletics or
through www.kniakrls.com.

A video webcast and live stats can also be viewed at www.central.edu/athletics. A
delayed telecast is offered to Pella Mediacom customers through PTV
12 next Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Thursday at 7 p.m.

Young Simpson lineup—Simpson is getting
key contributions from its younger players. Freshman Michael Chia
leads the running backs with 143 yards on 59 carries while freshman
quarterback Taylor Nelson has completed 51 of 98 passes for 529
yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions. And yet another
freshman, Brad Vogel, is the top receiver with 16 catches for 182
yards and two scores.

Junior linebacker Braden Everding is the Simpson tackle leader
with 42. He's made three sacks and has one interception.

"Simpson is a team that will be a great challenge,"
McMartin said. "It's a great rivalry. We'll have
to put everything we have into getting ready for Simpson.

"We know they'll be fired up to play us. It's
a well-coached team."

McMartin noted that Simpson gained 466 yards on the Dutch last
year, including 232 yards rushing.

"They're experienced up front and they want to run
the ball," he said. "They did a great job of running
the football against us last year."

Bouncing back—Central did make some
changes following the 37-28 loss at Coe College Sept. 25. Defensive
back Jason Breon (sophomore, Anamosa) and
linebacker Patrick Kelley (junior, Eagle Grove)
were inserted in the starting lineup. Breon recovered a
first-quarter fumble while Kelley made five tackles.

Yet McMartin said much of his team's progress was simply
the result of being more ready to play and that will remain a
focus.

"We'll work this week preparing ourselves mentally
as much as physically," he said. "The mental side of
the game is so important. We want to improve that aspect. We want
to be a team that plays 60 minutes of hard-hitting
football."

Homecoming—Like most coaches, McMartin is
wary of homecoming week distractions. Yet he said his squad looks
forward to Saturday.

"Homecoming is great because we have so many alums and
supporters back for the weekend," he said. "It's
fun playing with them here and having a great crowd. The players
love that.

"But you have to continue to stay in your routine. We
really stress the importance of being familiar with the opponent,
preparing well and letting the game be the focal point of our week.
We've done a good job of that in the past and have played
pretty well on homecoming the last few years."

The Dutch have won five of their past six homecoming contests,
getting tripped in 2008.

Eisenhower remembers—A win Saturday will
assure the Dutch of extending their streak of years without a
losing season to 50. Central was 3-6 in 1960. A young high school
coach from Michigan, Ron Schipper, took over the following
year.

Snead is tied for 10th in the NCAA Division III in scoring (13.5
points) and 21st in total offense (294.3 yards).

Notes—Central's 28-point fourth
quarter Saturday was eight points shy of the school record for
points in a quarter. The Dutch racked up 36 points in one quarter
against Dubuque in 1996 and had 56 points at the half
…Central has yet to intercept a pass this
season…Saturday's whitewashing of Cornell makes 2010
the 24th season out of the last 27 that the Dutch have posted at
least one shutout. Since 1961 Central has recorded 104 shutouts,
while being held scoreless only 13 times.